The invention relates to fabric winding equipment and systems, and particularly to fabric rewinding equipment and systems. Specifically, the invention relates to fabric rewinding systems that have a tendency to entrap air between successive layers of the fabric being wrapped upon a core means as the rewinding proceeds.
The entrapped air enlarges the size of the roll, requiring larger packing or packaging means, and ultimately greater bulk in storage. The entrapped air makes the roll spongy which hinders some types of applications and makes the subsequent use difficult. The entrapped air is particularly undesirable in rolls of fabric such a stretch-type film or plastics types of film. The present invention eliminates these problems.
In the prior art, fabric being rewound from a supply roll is tediously threaded through and around a maze of a plurality of idler rolls, drive roll, rider roll, and a core. This is a time-consuming process of threading the fabric over and under the complicated system of the rolls. The present invention eliminates these problems.
In the present invention there are essentially only two rolls, the supply roll and the core on which the fabric is being rewound. There isn't any complicated and time-consuming threading of the fabric through a maze of roll means as in the prior art. The set-up time is rapid and simple.
The system of the present invention may be operated in a horizontal mode or in a vertical mode. In the horizontal mode the horizontal supply roll is arranged so as to rise a short distance from the core position while the core is set into place, thereafter, as the core begins to rewind fabric from the supply roll the supply roll is lowered and rests on the rewinding roll as it turns. The system may be arranged for either the supply roll or the rewind roll to be powered.
The system as shown in the drawings provides for the core roll being powered and thus pulling, withdrawing, or in effect peeling, the fabric from the supply roll. The weight of the supply roll rolling upon the roll being wound upon the core, squeezes the air from the continuous spiral-like layer being played on to the core. A very tight and compact roll results without the mass of air between the spiral like layers.
One example is to rewind a roll of 6000 feet in length on to four smaller rolls of 1500 feet each in length. As a measuring device rolling on the surface of the fabric being peeled off stops the machine at each 1500 feet, the operator removes the rewound core and inserts another blank core. It is a very quick operation to draw the fabric around the new core means in a first wrap and restart the rewind process. It is to be understood that any length of a supply of fabric can be rerolled upon a rewind roll.
It is to be noted that the process is also applicable to supply rolls that are being slit and the slit units wrapped upon separate core means.
One problem arises as the horizontal supply roll diminishes, the weight of the supply roll reduces as the roll diminishes so that as the last portion is peeled off for the last rewinding roll, the weight is such that the rewound roll may not be as tight, with some chance of some air entrapment between some of the spiral-like layers. To overcome this, a pre-load pressure means is added to the shaft means of the supply roll to maintain a minimum load upon the rewinding roll, even though the static load of the supply roll is steadily diminishing.
In the vertical mode the vertical supply roll exerts no pressure upon the roll or rolls being rewound from the supply. It is to be noted when a large supply roll is to be slit into several shorter rolls, the vertical mode has advantages, in that the plurality of shorter rolls can be spaced around the periphery of the suppy roll. This peripheral spacing makes it convenient for servicing each roll being rewound from the supply roll.
In the vertical mode, as noted hereinbefore, the supply roll exerts no pressure upon the roll or rolls to be rewound to keep the air squeezed out from between the spiral-like layers. Instead, in the vertical mode, each of the rewind rolls is pre-loaded to maintain a constant contact pressure with the supply roll so that the air is constantly squeezed out from under the layer of fabric being wound at the moment upon each of the rewind rolls.
The fabric rewind system of the present invention is applicable to a wide range of fabrics, including those of cloth, paper products, plastics materials, and particularly those such as plastics stretch film. The system is particularly useful for rewinding impervious type fabrics under which air may be trapped. It is to be noted that the terms "fabric" and "web" may be used interchangibly.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system capable of rewinding all types of fabric.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that will rewind plastics and other types of impervious fabrics, including such fabrics as plastics stretch film.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that will operate in a horizontal mode and in a vertical mode.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that continually squeezes any entrapped air from between succeeding spiral-like layers of fabric being rewound.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that eliminates the need for one or a plurality of idler rolls between the supply roll and the rewind roll.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that rewinds directly from the supply roll to the rewind roll.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that utilizes the weight of the supply roll to squeeze entrapped air continually from between succeeding spiral-like layers of fabric being rewound in a horizontal mode.
It is also another object of the invention to provide a fabric rewind system that uses a rewind pressure means to squeeze entrapped air continually from between succeeding spiral-like layers of fabric being rewound in a vertical mode.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in the light of the following description of the preferred embodiments.